cantstopmustthink

[cantstopmustthink]

The  Wall

“BUILD THAT WALL!”

It was the cry of one Donald Trump and his supporters in a clip displayed on the news of one of his latest campaign rallies. The candidate’s latest idea? To build an enormous wall between the U.S. and Mexico. 

Usually, Trump’s statements and actions outrage me. “I’m moving!” I’ve said more than once. This time...what he said broke my heart. 

Forget about politics for a second. This is about people. People who want and need to come to us for a better life. And what is our response? 

BUILD THAT WALL. 

It’s as much as to say “We don’t want you. We don’t care about your problems. You have no place with us. You will find no compassion or kindness here, no open arms to welcome and comfort you. You’re nothing to us. STAY. AWAY.”

But how did the United States form in the first place? Immigrants. We were like them once. Have we forgotten that? We once left our mother country for a new life. For hope, for possibility.

Now Trump wants to build a wall between us and the rest of the world. “You can’t come in. We are marking our territory. This is our land.” It was someone else’s land once. Someone else’s home. We weren’t the first. And I doubt we’ll be the last. What’s important is that we leave a legacy of love. We do want you. We do care about your problems. You have a place with us. You will find compassion and kindness here, and open arms to welcome and comfort you. You matter to us. The door is open! Come!

[cantstopmustthink]

eating out vegan

[IN PROGRESS]

What’s safe to eat at fast food and sit-down restaurants? 

MELLOW MUSHROOM offers a vegan pizza with Daiya cheeze! 

VEGAN EATING OUT is an excellent resource for you to check what’s vegan at a specific restaurant.

[cantstopmustthink]

vegan favorites

A list of personal favorites for vegan...everything! 

[IN PROGRESS]

Butter Replacement: Earth Balance

Shoes: Crocs

Toothpaste: Tom’s of Maine

[cantstopmustthink]

the vegan grocery

[IN PROGRESS]

If you have a TRADER JOE’S near you, there is no place better for finding quality vegan-friendly food. Check out their vegan dietary list! 

My personal favorite is the chicken-less crispy tenders. And there are even more options not listed! After sending an inquiry a while back, I received assurances that their hash brown patties are safe, though they weren’t added to the list. If you don’t see one of their products in the link and you’re wondering if it’s safe, just shoot them an email! It just might be vegan after all. 

And PETA’S Accidentally Vegan Food List is an essential resource!

Vegan Essentials is an online store - everything vegan! Not just groceries, though I’m putting it here in the grocery section. It’s got lots! 

KROGER also has a variety of options. Here’s one list from a vegan blogger that you may find helpful, but don’t forget to email the store if you have a question about a product!

[cantstopmustthink]

vegan eating with amanda

Looking for vegan meals? Here are a few of my favorites!

Steamed Broccoli

Fried Potatoes

[cantstopmustthink]

Without Passing Judgement

There’s a fine line between fighting for what you believe and essentially telling people that what they believe and, by extension, what they are is...well, poppycock. 

Usually I start these blogs knowing exactly where I stand, what message I want my blog to share. But this time? I honestly don’t know.

What do you do when met with people who believe and do things you hold to be wrong? Unjust, even? For instance, how does a feminist deal with the mistreatment of women without mistreating those who oppose feminism? How does a marriage equality advocate handle someone who is quite uncomfortable with same-sex marriage without degrading that person? How does a vegan or animal activist approach someone who considers other animals inferior to humans without making that someone feel inferior?

It’s a delicate situation. But there seems no delicate solution. 

In conversation, do you let comments that go against your sense of what’s right slide for the sake of avoiding an argument or the chance that you might be offensive? How many do you tackle, and how do you choose your battles? It’s important to not stand by as injustice continues and inequality of all sorts can be found round every corner, that much is clear. You shouldn’t hold your tongue. But...what exactly do you say, then? And just how often should you say it?

These are just some questions I’ve been pondering. I don’t want to push people down in the process of helping the underdog get up. I want to calmly put one hand up and say ‘That’s not right,’ then help the underdog up with the other. No one else should be left on the ground. No one at all. 

I try so hard to be gentle in how I go about it, but the truth is there is always a deep part of me that will always be angry and, unfortunately, a bit judgey. My insides scream ‘Are you crazy?’ and my outsides try with every possible effort not to duplicate that sentiment. Part of me wonders if I’m doing enough for what I stand for or if I’m trying too hard to be nice. Another part makes excuses for why the person can’t possibly be expected to hold the same values as I do or see injustice as I see it. Yet another part wants to just hug everyone (yes, I’m an emotional mush), and still another wants nothing to do with people or the world since so many terrible things are not only accepted but are normal.

In case you were wondering, the answer is yes. It’s exhausting. But caring always is. And I care. 

How do you convince others to care? And how do you, at the same time, let them know they’re also on the list of things you care about? How do you seek justice without passing judgement?

Let me know if you find out. 

[cantstopmustthink]

Of Aliens And Earth

We make movies about it all the time. Books, TV shows...it pervades the entertainment industry.

What would happen if we came across alien life?

Of course, one of the popular scenarios involves humans defending the Earth against hostile aliens, perhaps with the help of a few benevolent ones. There's a reason people love this version of alien encounter stories - we protect the Earth, make a few allies, discover new and fascinating things...The danger only lasts until the climax, and we're very pleased with that climax.

In all of these plots, though, there lies an assumption: the aliens we encounter are more advanced, more evolved than humans. That's why the danger in these tales is so great. We are the weaker species. More vulnerable, more easily destroyed. Less important? The hostile fictional aliens seem to think so, but the benevolent ones maintain our value. Different species, evolved at different times, born of different circumstances, equipped for different atmospheres. All equal.

Here's the thing - we can't even treat the different species of Earth as equal. How are we going treat aliens any differently?

Suppose the human race found another habitable planet, younger than Earth. The weary but resilient travelers discover, not a species with advanced tech and the super-human powers so many hope we'll evolve into, but beasts instead, who have no art, no science, no education, just the instinct for survival and the need for their pack's support.

And what would the human visitors do? Hunt them, no doubt of it. Eat their meat, use their hide for clothing, their teeth for mementos of victory. Because these aliens are merely beasts. No human religion welcomes them into their congregations, no employer hires them, no government gives them citizenship. They have one purpose: keeping the newcomers alive. 

It's not that they're not smart, these beasts. They're quick, stealthy, tenacious. They protect their own. They're clever, but young. They have no art or science or education, so to the human visitors they're nothing. Nothing but meat for someone's empty stomach, a mount for some hunter's wall, a skeleton for some new museum, a prisoner for curious schoolchildren to observe at an alien zoo, a subject for scientists to run tests on.

And just like that, we've become the hostile aliens.

Now imagine the alternative - we meet a species much, much smarter than ourselves. They know things we've yet to dream of. We are the clueless, vulnerable beasts. Our language is primitive nonsense, our houses are anthills. We are at their mercy.

What would you have them do? You certainly wouldn't want them t treat us the way we treat our fellow animals here. It becomes quite dark when you imagine the scenario like that. It now becomes a horror story, not a survival story, in the eyes of the human race.

Perhaps, in the end, it won't be anything like that. Perhaps this advanced alien race realizes the value of all creatures, young and old, intelligent and foolish. That is the race we would want to meet. That is the race we should want to become.

And if we finally learn to treat the other creatures of Earth with some respect, we can spread kindness, rather than chaos, when we travel the vast cosmos.

[cantstopmustthink]

Vegan Eating With Amanda: Fried Potatoes

Want vegan options for dinner?

Another of my favorites, and the one I most enjoy actually cooking if I must cook - Fried Potatoes!

1. Bake a number of potatoes (any kind of potato will do, though I use Russet Potatoes most often) in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately two hours. 

2. Once done baking, allow potatoes to cool at least one to two hours for best taste. This also saves your hands from burning while cutting the potatoes, which is the next step.

3. Cut the desired amount of potatoes into dices. 

4. Using a vegan butter replacement (I use Earth Balance for mine), fry the potato dices for 10-15 minutes on your stove-top. The potatoes should appear golden brown. 

5. Once done, add any spices, etc. that you wish! I use salt and pepper, the perfect and final addition to the dish.

6. ENJOY! 

Want more vegan meals? I will be adding more vegan options to my blog. Just follow my ‘vegan eating with amanda’ tag, and more meals will be shared later!

[cantstopmustthink]

Sorry for the lack of posts lately!

Will try to write more blogs. 

In the meantime, I have another vegan meal to share with you guys! Coming right up!

[cantstopmustthink]

Nobody wanted your dance, nobody wanted your strange glitter, your floundering, drowning life and your effort to save yourself, treading water, dancing the dark turmoil, looking for something to give.

Ted Hughes (via typocarrier)

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[cantstopmustthink]

The Theory of Imperfection

I have a theory.

It is that no matter what we fix, there will always be more left to do. It is that the Universe will always try to progress...but will never be perfect. 

I like to call this my Theory of Imperfection (because it sounds so official that way), and I've be pondering it for some time now.

As a perfectionist, I've found myself never really satisfied with anything. This or that could be so much better if (insert list of more favorable outcomes here). That's not to say I don't recognize good things when I see them, like sunsets and starlight and books and music. I'm just convinced that there's no such thing as flawless. Because existence is still, and always will be, a battle for survival. Because no one can agree on what perfection really is. Because pain is very much real and very much with us.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't stop trying to make things as nearly perfect as possible. Again, there is always more to do. We still need more medical discoveries. More equality for all life. More...everything, really. Don't stop. Don't ever stop. As long as life exists, we need to leave this place in better shape than we found it. Imperfection may be ever-present, but we can reach more favorable outcomes.

[cantstopmustthink]

RIP Deah Barakat.  RIP Yusor Abu-Salha.  RIP Razan Abu-Salha.

[cantstopmustthink]

[cantstopmustthink]

Vegan Eating with Amanda: Steamed Broccoli

Want vegan options for dinner?

Try one of my favorites - Steamed Broccoli!

It's quick and easy to make. Just follow these few steps...

1. Fill a pot with water. You won't need much. 

2. If you don't have a pressure cooker, simply get an Expandable Steamer Basket and place it inside the pot. The water level should be low enough so it doesn't come up into the basket.

3. Cut up the desired amount of broccoli into individual florets and place them in the basket.

4. Drizzle olive oil over the florets for flavor.

5. Cover the pot with the necessary lid to assist the steaming process, and cook on high until the florets are bright green and soft enough to stick a fork (or other utensil) through. 

6. Enjoy! 

Want more vegan meals? I will be adding more vegan options to my blog. Just follow my 'vegan eating with amanda' tag, and more meals will be shared later!

[cantstopmustthink]

What is it that brings on these moods of yours? Nothing mysterious: the ordinary pain of being alive.

Charles Baudelaire, excerpt from “Semper Eadem” (via larmoyante)

[cantstopmustthink]

For a star to be born, there is one thing that must happen: a gaseous nebula must collapse. So collapse. Crumble.This is not your destruction. This is your birth.

(via youngfolksociety)